If budget is a primary concern, the ASUS Zenbook 14 offers a cost-effective choice; however, its lower price may reflect compromises in areas like performance or build quality. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, while more expensive, may justify its higher cost with better performance, longer battery life, a more durable build, or additional features. Consider what you'll use the laptop for: if you'll engage in activities that demand significant power, such as photo or video editing or gaming, investing more in the Lenovo might be worthwhile. Conversely, for everyday tasks like web browsing, document editing, and watching videos, the ASUS Zenbook 14 might suffice. Remember, heavier and larger laptops can be less portable, so if mobility is essential, look for the one with a lighter weight and longer battery life. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook 14
Good for engineering and design
Very good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good portability
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3
Very good battery life
Key differences
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
6.1/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.6/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook 14 is good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is only fair.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 outperforms the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 in engineering and design tasks due to a better CPU and GPU, higher screen resolution and better quality including color accuracy, contrast, and brightness. However, while the Lenovo IdeaPad offers more storage space and slightly better portability with a longer battery life, its lower screen color coverage and overall weaker performance components make it less ideal for demanding engineering and design applications compared to the ASUS Zenbook 14.
Screen Quality
8.3/10
6.4/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
339.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The ASUS Zenbook 14, with its higher resolution and bright display, provides a crisp and vivid experience for browsing and media consumption, making it ideal for general use and engineering, where color accuracy is key. However, for gaming and 3D applications, its lower refresh rate could result in less fluid motion compared to specialized gaming laptops. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 offers a decent view for everyday tasks and can handle design software, but its average color range and resolution might not satisfy professionals, and its similar limitations in refresh rate mean it's also not optimized for high-end gaming or 3D work.
Battery
8.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has 10 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
3.5 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has very good portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.8/10
6.5/10
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$300
$400
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
The ASUS Zenbook 14 has a price of $300 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 costs $400.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 are both good for general use.
The ASUS Zenbook 14 offers a high-resolution OLED screen and respectable battery life, making it suitable for multimedia and extended use, but its storage capacity is lower compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, which might require additional investment for those needing more space. Meanwhile, the IdeaPad Slim 3 has a larger IPS touchscreen display and superior battery life, ideal for productivity and on-the-go use, yet its screen quality and speaker performance are modest, affecting the experience when watching videos or listening to audio.
Gaming and AI
6.1/10
5.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS Zenbook 14 to be only fair for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is poor.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Content Creation
7.3/10
7.2/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.6/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook 14 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 are both good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.2/10
7.1/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The ASUS Zenbook 14 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
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How the ASUS Zenbook 14 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 compare to other laptops
"Users who travel frequently and are looking for a portable laptop are in the right place with the Asus ZenBook 14. The sleek case is extremely light (1.2 kg) and surprisingly thin (1.5 cm). Outdoor use is also enjoyable thanks to the bright Full HD display, which is something that can rarely be said about laptops with TN or IPS panels. The excellent battery life complements this as well. Longer trips are no problem with the ZenBook 14. Another plus point is the high-performance Ryzen 7 5700U, which often leaves the Intel competition in the dust thanks to its large number of cores."
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | May 2023
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is decent for use as a workstation. Its Intel CPU and integrated graphics can only handle light productivity tasks, not demanding workloads like video editing or 3D graphics. You also can't do any color-critical work because the available displays have a narrow color gamut. It has a good port selection, but its USB-C lacks Thunderbolt 4 support. On the upside, it has a comfortable keyboard and doesn't get hot or loud under load."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook 14 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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Laptops Expert
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